Skor Axehound
Lord Skor Axehound was a barrel-chested, bearded sea otter with green eyes; he was chieftain of the Rogue Crew, and the father of Swiffo and Ruggan Axehound. He wore a chain-mail tunic with a cloak of vermin hides, and lived with his people on the High North Coast; he was said to be one of the strongest sea otters known to the region. He was devoted to his two sons, even though their little idiosyncrasies sometimes annoyed him. Skor and his Rogue Crew had a long-standing enmity with all sea raiders and corsairs, and had learned how to defend their home from them. When Razzid Wearat and his crew tried a surprise attack on the High North Coast, the vermin found themselves the ones surprised; Skor's crew ambushed the vermin, slaying many and setting fire to their ship Greenshroud. Though the corsairs managed to get away, Razzid was badly burned in the incident, and swore revenge against Skor and his Rogue Crew. Many seasons later the vermin returned to Northlands. Skor again saw them coming before they saw him; however, he was surprised when Razzid suddenly changed his mind, turned about, and sailed away. When Captain Rake Nightfur and his band of Long Patrol hares journeyed to the Northlands, and told Skor of Razzid's new wheeled ship and the danger it posed to Mossflower Country, Skor realized that Razzid had decided to attack there instead because the pickings were easier. The Rogue Crew joined forces with the Long Patrol , and marched off in pursuit of Razzid. Along the way, the sea otters and hares of the rank and file tried their best to outdo each other in stamina; Skor called a halt to the foolishness, realizing that worn out beasts were not good fighters. The army made their way to the River Moss, where they discovered the remnants of an ambush Razzid had made on some Guosim shrews. As a survivor informed him that Swiffo had been traveling with the shrews but was now missing, Skor became concerned for his son's safety and set off after him. The army found Swiffo and some other surviving Guosim and travelers being threatened by Ketral Vane and his foxes; the otters and hares disarmed the attackers, but they managed to escape, and return with a much larger force. Though it went against every grain in his body, Skor fled with the others to a cave system that the vermin were afraid to enter. Afterwards, he helped to capture the ferret Viglat and forced him, by feeding him Hotroot Soup, to lead them to Redwall Abbey. During the journey, Viglat managed to escape; he returned with Ketral Vane, who murdered Swiffo with a poison dart. A furious Skor chased after the fox and ferret, but they outran him, and he was forced to allow his son Ruggan to finish the job instead. Once at Redwall, Skor made arrangements for the interment of Swiffo's body; he then set about helping Rake prepare a defense for the structure. When Razzid invaded, Skor took out several vermin on his own, but did not get a chance at Razzid himself - he was killed by Posy and Jum. After the battle, Skor and Rake, along with their crews, commandeered the Greenshroud and sailed off in it, cutting down the last fleeing vermin. Trivia * Skor is an Old Norse word for a crack or precipice. Category:Otters Category:The Rogue Crew Characters Category:Males Category:Heroes Category:Characters